PDF to Text
Free online PDF to text converter with OCR. Extract text from digital and scanned PDFs. Supports 14 languages. Files never leave your browser.
How to Use the PDF to Text
Upload your PDF by dragging it into the upload zone or clicking to browse. Select the document language if your PDF contains scanned pages — this improves OCR accuracy significantly. Click Extract Text. Digital pages extract in seconds. Scanned pages run through OCR with a live progress bar showing each page’s status. Results stream into the output panel as each page completes. Copy all text at once, copy individual pages, or download the full result as a plain text file. The output is fully editable — fix any OCR errors before copying.
About This Tool
A digital PDF contains actual embedded text characters — these extract instantly and with perfect accuracy. A scanned PDF is a photograph of a document: the pages are images, and no text characters are stored in the file. Extracting text from scanned pages requires OCR (Optical Character Recognition), which analyzes the image pixel by pixel to identify characters. This tool handles both types automatically. Each page is checked for embedded text first. If none is found, OCR runs on that page. Documents that mix digital and scanned pages are handled correctly — each page uses whichever method suits it. All processing runs entirely in your browser. Your document is never uploaded to a server, making this safe for contracts, medical records, and private documents. Related: PDF to Images for converting pages to images, Word Counter for analyzing the extracted text.
Quick Reference Table
| PDF Type | Extraction Method |
|---|---|
| Text-based PDF (digital) | PDF.js — instant, perfect accuracy |
| Scanned PDF (image-only) | OCR (Tesseract.js) — 5–15s per page |
| Mixed (some text, some scanned) | Each page handled automatically |
| Password-protected PDF | Not supported — remove password first |
| PDF with embedded fonts | PDF.js — instant |
| Low-resolution scan | OCR — reduced accuracy |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this work on scanned or photographed documents?
Yes. Scanned pages are automatically detected and processed using OCR (Tesseract.js). Select the correct document language before extracting for best accuracy.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. All processing — both digital text extraction and OCR — runs entirely in your browser. Your file never leaves your device, making it safe for confidential documents.
How accurate is the OCR?
For clean, high-resolution scans of printed text, accuracy is typically 95–99%. Accuracy is lower for poor-quality scans, handwriting, and unusual fonts. Always review the output before use in important documents.
Why is OCR slow?
OCR runs a full image recognition engine in your browser using WebAssembly. Processing typically takes 5–15 seconds per scanned page depending on your device and page complexity.
Can I extract text in languages other than English?
Yes. 14 languages are supported including Icelandic, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and more. Select the language before processing.
Can I edit the extracted text?
Yes. The output area is fully editable so you can correct recognition errors before copying or downloading.